A Time that Isn't Now
by Lady Adri
Summary: Oliver comes back to Hogwarts to become an assistant teacher. A young Italian girl, Adri, and her twin brother get transfered to Hogwarts.


A Time that Isn't Now  
  
Part 1  
  
Rating: PG-13  
  
Genre: Action/Adventure/Romance  
  
Summary of this Part: Oliver Wood has had trouble getting a job. That is until he accepts a job to be an assistant teacher of Magic Recreational Activities. Meanwhile, Adriana Lanz and her twin brother have been kicked out of Beauxbatons due to some mysterious incident that happened last year and are accepted by Dumbledore to go to Hogwarts.  
  
AN: Ok, first off, the fourth book is kind of null and void in this fic, obviously. Also, this is the first fic in what I think might be a trilogy. And please: send feedback! I need it! This is my first Harry Potter fan fiction. Also, I'm only writing Oliver's dialogue with a Scottish accent because if I did it all in an accent it would be difficult to read.  
  
Disclaimer: I do not own Oliver Wood. I do not own Hogwarts. I do not own any other thing from the Harry Potter universe. All I own are my original characters and the plot. That's it. If you want to sue me, don't because I have a lawyer too. ::grins:: Or at least I know one.  
  
  
  
Part One-To Hogwarts  
  
"You caught it again, Ollie! You're really good!"  
  
I laughed at the small pig-tailed girl who had been throwing the Quaffle at me and flew over and patted her head fondly. This was my youngest step- sibling, and I had to say that she was also my favorite. She was always so enthusiastic and loved everyone.  
  
"Thank you, Issie. We better get inside and wash up for dinner before maw comes out and scolds us for not cleanin' up after ourselves."  
  
"Aye, we wouldn't want maw to get her knickers in a twist."  
  
I stopped in my decent to the ground. "Where in the world did you hear that?" It was rather shocking to hear a seven year old speaking such a thing.  
  
Issie turned back to me and said seriously; "Sheri said it. He says it a lot about maw."  
  
Sheridan, that little Slytherin durtbox. He was always talking jobby about my maw. He was going into his sixth year at Hogwarts and had been the most against his da's and my maw's marriage. I couldn't really see what his problem was though, at least he had known about the marriage. I just came home and found five new people living in my house, so I guess I really couldn't see what his problem was.  
  
"Are you coming, Ollie?"  
  
I blinked and looked down. Isla was already down on the ground and had put the Quaffle back into the trunk. I flew down and handed her my broom as I picked up the trunk and headed towards our shed.  
  
This had become a little routine of Issie's and mine. We would get up, eat breakfast, do our chores, eat lunch, and then go out and play Quidditch for the rest of the afternoon until dinner.  
  
Just as I was putting the trunk into the shed I heard the all too familiar voice of my maw.  
  
"Oliver Douglas Wood! Isla Adara Davis! Come inside and wash up this instant!"  
  
Issie and I glanced at each other and grinned before shouting back; "Aye, Maw!"  
  
We ran from our shed to the small cottage that we called home. I loved this house. It was small, but the tan stone walls, large windows, and seaside position seemed so warm and inviting after a year away at Hogwarts.  
  
I trotted up to my room, it was the smallest room in the house, but I didn't have to share it with anyone. Plus it had a wonderful view of our grounds, which extended straight to the ocean.  
  
Almost immediately after walking into my room, I heard a familiar 'thunk' sound as my owl flew into my closed window. My brown barn owl, Badger, fell into my hands, two wax-sealed parchment letters tied to his talons.  
  
I untied the letters from his feet and placed Badger on his perch, giving him a pat on the head as thanks. Then I looked at the letters. One, surprisingly enough, was from Hogwarts. The other was something I had been waiting for almost all summer: the letter from the Scotland Quidditch Team Coach. At the beginning of the summer I had gone to an open tryout, along with a few other people I recognized from Hogwarts.  
  
I sat down in my desk chair and tore through the red seal wax and opened the letter. It read:  
  
Dear Oliver Wood,  
  
I regret to inform you-  
  
I didn't need to read any more. I hadn't gotten in. There had been someone better. There was always someone better.  
  
I crumbled the rejection letter up and threw it into the fireplace. There was no point to keep it around. I looked at the envelope from Hogwarts. Maybe Dumbledore forgot that I had graduated last year. He did tend to be a bit forgetful at times.  
  
For some reason though, I didn't think that was it, and now I was curious. I turned the envelope over and looked at the official seal of Hogwarts and carefully slipped my finger under the rough parchment envelope flap and broke the wax holding it shut.  
  
Inside the envelope was a letter, and as I unfolded the parchment, a smaller piece of paper fell out of it. I picked up the smaller piece and looked at it. It was a ticket for platform 9 ¾. The date on it was for a week from today.  
  
All right, now I was really confused.  
  
I opened the letter again. On it, the writing read:  
  
Dear Oliver Wood,  
  
I know of your misfortune in finding a suitable job given your skills. I may be able to offer you a temporary solution.  
  
Madam Hooch has had an unfortunate accident, and although she is fine now, Madam Pomphrey has insisted that she only teach two classes a day, to keep her from doing further injury to her self. That still leaves ten classes that need a teacher.  
  
Therefore, I am writing to you to offer you the position. It would only be for the year, but it will make it easier to find a job at the ministry should you want one.  
  
The ticket is for a week from the day you get this letter. This, if my calculations are correct, should be Saturday. If you decide to take the position, be on the Hogwarts Express next Saturday at nine o'clock.  
  
Cordially, Professor Albus Dumbledore  
  
I had just been offered a job teaching at Hogwarts. What should I do? Should I take it?  
  
The answer was glaringly obvious. Yes I should take it. I was just rejected by one of the two teams I tried out for and now a job offer from Dumbledore was too good to pass up. It was either teach or assist my stepfather in the Magical Law Enforcement Office at the Ministry. I would much rather teach. I had no urge or want to join Law Enforcement.  
  
I walked into the bathroom Sheridan and I shared and washed my hands and face. I looked into the mirror and tried to view myself as a teacher. I couldn't really see it, but maybe that was because I had never considered being one before. I had always thought that I would play professional Quidditch. It seemed like that would not be happening, though, so it was time to get my head out of the clouds.  
  
Yes, it was time to give up silly childhood dreams and look forward to the future. It was time to pick something else to do. Teaching seemed like a good, stable foundation to start on.  
  
I dried my face and walked back into my room, going over to my dresser and pulling out a pair of trousers and a shirt. I had just changed into the clean clothes when I heard my maw's voice calling from downstairs that supper was ready.  
  
I guess I better go tell them the news.  
  
***  
  
"Adri, Zio Armand wants to talk to us."  
  
I looked up at Dante, my twin brother, and smiled. "Tell Zio that I will be there in a minute."  
  
My brother looked at me for a moment longer before leaving the room. My twin and I were almost completely different in every respect. Dante was tall, pale, blond-haired, brown-eyed, serious, quiet, and studious. I was short, tan, black-haired, grey-eyed, funny, loud, and athletic. The only thing we really had in common aside from family and birthday was the fact that we both played the same position in Quidditch: Keeper.  
  
I put the muggle book I had been reading, an interesting story about a rebel princess who goes to live with a dragon, on the bed beside me and stretched.  
  
I loved spending the summers with my uncle and his muggle family. My zio's family lived in a large colonial style house in the middle of Plymouth, Massachusetts. My uncle was a wizard and owned a business making custom brooms. He had made my brother's and my first brooms when we were five and had given us a new one every year for our birthday for ten years. My aunt was a sweet muggle woman who ran an art museum in Boston and they had three wonderful muggle children.  
  
Now don't get me wrong, it wasn't that I didn't love my parents, I did, it's just that when your mother is off in Romania raising dragons and you haven't seen your father for five years because he's always looking for some obscure magic relic, I didn't really get to see them very often. I hadn't been to my home in Italy for six years and now I considered my uncle's house my home. It was great to return to a nice, stable home after a year away at Beauxbatons.  
  
I sat up and combed through my long, wavy hair with my fingers before twisting it up and tucking it under my ever-present baseball cap. Then I pulled on my tennis shoes and headed towards the back patio where I knew my uncle would be.  
  
The patio overlooked a small but very beautiful rose garden. It was my uncle's favorite spot because he always said that it reminded him of the villa he had lived in as a boy in Italy.  
  
The table was green tinted metal with a glass top and my Uncle Armand was sitting there, just like I knew he would be. He looked up as I walked over and smiled. But it wasn't his usual smile. It seemed strained, and his usually impeccably neat dark hair was ruffled, as if he had run his hands through it more than just a few times.  
  
Dante was sitting across from him, looking overly serious in all black as usual, hands folded in his lap. His pale hair was hanging in his eyes as he looked down at his pale fingers.  
  
I looked back and forth between my uncle and my brother. This serious attitude was not going to work. I placed my hands on my hips and said; "Did Shakespeare get banned and no one told me?"  
  
Nothing. Not even the slightest hint of a smile from my uncle or a sarcastic remark from Dante. Granted, it had been a really stupid question and not that funny at all, but I at least expected some sort of remark on the idiocy of it.  
  
"Adri, why don't you have a seat," my uncle said, looking at the open chair next to Dante. Dio Dell'cOh, this was really serious. My uncle has never told me to "have a seat" before.  
  
I sat down in the chair, worrying. Had Padre been killed in a volcanic eruption? Had Madre been eaten by a Chinese Fireball?  
  
"What?" I finally asked, after a long moment of silence.  
  
My uncle ran his hand through his hair again and I was beginning to fear the worst.  
  
"It's about Beauxbatons," my uncle said stoically.  
  
"Oh. School. What about Beauxbatons?" I hadn't realized that I had spoken aloud until my uncle started giving me an answer.  
  
"Beauxbatons, in light of recent events, has decided not to take you back this year."  
  
Not this again. What happened wasn't that big of a deal. Yes, Dante and I got hurt, but none of the other students had gotten harmed. So why weren't they taking us back?  
  
Dante must have picked up on my feelings, because he asked; "Can they refuse to take us back in the middle of our education like that?"  
  
Zio nodded his head. "They can, and they will, if they believe it is in the best interest of the other students and the school."  
  
"That's not fair! Why should we get kicked out for something we didn't even do?"  
  
My uncle looked at me sympathetically. This was so wrong. We couldn't help what happened, or at the very least Dante couldn't. I was about to say something when I felt Dante's cool hand rest on my arm.  
  
I looked down at him and saw the concentration on his face. "What are our options?"  
  
Uncle Armand shrugged his shoulders. "You two could be home schooled."  
  
My fratello and I looked at each other. Home school meant no Quidditch, and Quidditch was a big part of our lives.  
  
I looked back at my uncle and saw a smile quirk the edges of his mouth. That didn't seem quite right. What did he have up his sleeve? "Any others?"  
  
Uncle nodded; "There is one more."  
  
By this time it was obvious that something was going on. I looked at Dante again and he gave me a look that almost berated me for not seeing it sooner.  
  
I turned to my uncle and waited for an answer. When it became obvious that he wasn't going to just "spill the beans", I asked; "Well, what is it?"  
  
Uncle Armand smiled just for a split second before returning to his sober expression. "Well, naturally, after the event at the end of last year, the school contacted your parents. Your mother, knowing that something like this might happen, wrote to Durmstrang to ask them if they would accept you. That way you could live with her during the summers. Your father, however, was not too keen on the idea. He doesn't think the two of you would be safe there. So he wrote to Albus Dumbledore to ask him to accept you and he wrote back a week ago saying he would be glad to take you two on. That is if you want to, however."  
  
Dante and I looked at each other, trying to soak in the information. We had just been told that we had been accepted to go to the number one wizarding school in the world. Not to mention that all of the houses had excellent Quidditch teams.  
  
Dante and I turned to our uncle. "When do we leave?" we asked simultaneously.  
  
***  
  
King's Cross was busy as usual, I noticed as I walked inside with my family. The muggles walked this way and that, trying to get where they were going as quickly as possible. I loved watching all the different sorts of people go to and fro in this place. Every time you came here you saw something new as well as something old.  
  
The barrier between platforms 9 and 10 that led to platform 9 ¾ was one of those old things. You pretty much knew that it was going to be there every time. Just like every wizard or witch knew that the platform for the Hogwarts Express was on the other side.  
  
My family and I crossed the barrier with little difficulty except for the tedious business of making sure the muggles didn't see us. If you ask me, I don't really see why we have to hide our powers from them. I mean, the relatives of what some people like to call Mudbloods (I would never use that word.) usually take it fairly well. You'll notice that I used the word usually. Not all muggles are proud to have wizards in their family. People tend to be afraid of what they don't understand.  
  
That must be why, then. We hide ourselves so that our, differences, aren't known. Slightly unfair, don't you think?  
  
Oh well, some things can't be helped. Maybe someday. I just hope I live to see it. Which, given a wizard's unusually long life span, I just might.  
  
Platform 9 ¾ wasn't nearly as crowded as it is the day the Hogwarts student leave. I think I preferred it this way, though. It wasn't nearly as hectic or confusing.  
  
There were a few families spread out along the platform. Students that were, for one reason or another, going to Hogwarts early.  
  
"Let me get your trunks, Oliver," Patrick, my stepfather, said.  
  
"That's all right, Ah can get them," I protested.  
  
My mother put her slim hand on my shoulder. "Let your faither take them." I sighed and nodded. With that, Patrick rolled the trunks onto the train.  
  
My stepbrother Sheridan, the Slytherin, crossed his arms over his chest, looking absolutely livid. This, as it turns out, is pretty much the expression he wears all of the time. "He's not his faither."  
  
"That would depend on your definition of faither, wouldn't it?" the second oldest of my new siblings, Kevyn, said as she rolled her eyes. I liked her a lot. She was a third year Ravenclaw and I almost think that she enjoyed giving Sheridan a hard time almost as much as he does for me. She was quick-witted and sarcastic, neither things that I was, but I still liked the girl immensely. Maybe it had something to do with the fact that not many people stood up to Slytherins that weren't Gryffindors.  
  
Kevyn and Sheridan argued for a few minutes and I took the chance to look at the other families on the platform. Most of them were getting off and heading out of the Platform. Did Hogwarts have summer school? I hadn't thought that it did, but I never really needed it, so it didn't really matter to me. For all I knew the Hogwarts Express changed its destination every summer, or it could just run from Hogsmeade and back.  
  
I didn't really have time to ponder it as I heard the familiar whistle that signaled that the train would be leaving in five minutes. I turned to my mother and she pulled me into her arms.  
  
"Remember to write, Oliver," my maw told me, like she had told me every year for the past eight years.  
  
"Ah will Maw, do nae worry," I assured her.  
  
She pulled back and nodded before fixing the collar of my shirt. "Do you have everything?"  
  
I thought over it for a moment, "Aye, and if I do nae, you can always send it to me."  
  
She laughed at that, which was what I was going for. She always took my leaving hard. It must have something to do with the fact that for a long time, ever since my dad died, I was the only one with her. Now she had three people to take care of while my two older stepsiblings and I were away.  
  
I gave her another short hug and then gave the same my two younger stepsiblings: Duncan and Isla. Isla clung to me and tried to convince me not to go, and Kevyn had to disengage the emotional seven-year-old from my knees. I kissed Isla's head and then turned and got onto the train.  
  
***  
  
"Wow! This is so cool!" I heard my cousin Kay exclaim as she looked at the station around the Hogwarts Express. I had to say that I agreed with her. There was just something about this place that I immediately loved. It had a friendly atmosphere. I looked over at Dante and knew that he felt it too because he had a soft smile on his face.  
  
My aunt, Belle, looked around with wide eyes. "It certainly is impressive."  
  
My uncle took a deep breath of air and smiled. "This reminds me of the first time I was here."  
  
Dante's head flung around. "What? I thought you went to Beauxbatons."  
  
Uncle Armand smiled down at my twin. I had to say I was a bit curious about his statement myself. "I did go to Beauxbatons.for six years. I spent my entire sixth year as a type of exchange student at Hogwarts. I wanted to experience what it was like to be at the school with Albus Dumbledore as the Headmaster."  
  
Dante rubbed his chin, "So that's why Dumbledore so readily accepted us. Dad told Dumbledore that we were related to you."  
  
I nearly sighed out loud. Here I was, thinking that Dumbledore just thought we were special or something like that. There goes my bubble. Oh well, at least my uncle got me into the best wizarding school in the world.  
  
I felt a small tug on my hand and looked down to see my nine-year-old cousin, Chrystian. "Do all wizards wear clothes like that?" he asked, pointing at one large family that was sending, what looked to be their oldest, away. I looked at the family's robes and then back down at Chrystian.  
  
"Yes, they all wear robes like that," I told him.  
  
"That's weird," my other cousin, Brendan, said as he crossed his arms over his chest. He had just started the disbelieving phase. Which, unfortunately, some people never grew out of.  
  
Dante just kneeled down in front of Brendan and said; "Well, you think their clothes are weird and I'm positive that they think your clothes are just as strange."  
  
That seemed to humble Brendan a bit and I smiled openly at my twin. He had always had a way with the twelve-year-old, ever since we started living with them every summer.  
  
The announcement that the train would be leaving sounded just as my uncle came back from putting our luggage on the train. I gave Uncle Armand and Aunt Belle each a large hug then followed suit with Brendan and Chrystian.  
  
When it came time to say goodbye to Kay, I paused a bit. Kay and I had been sharing the same room every summer for four years, and during that time, we had become like sisters instead of step cousins. Kay smiled and I smiled back tearfully and pulled her into a hug.  
  
"Make sure to write to me while you're at school to describe all the interesting things that happen," Kay ordered.  
  
I nodded; "I promise to write at least once a month, depending on how many interesting things happen."  
  
That made her laugh and we both pulled away, wiping our faces. She beamed; "Kick major arse at Quidditch."  
  
I grinned back at her, wishing she couldn't see how nervous I was about the tryouts. From what I had heard, Hogwarts was very competitive when it came to Quidditch. I wasn't even sure I would make my house team. "I will, and I expect you to actually talk to that guy this year."  
  
Kay laughed and then Dante came over to say goodbye. After all that, Dante took my hand and we boarded the Hogwarts Express.  
  
As we watched the train pull out of the station I felt my brother squeeze my hand lightly. "Are you ready?" he asked in Italian. Suddenly I had a very bad feeling. It was a feeling that left a lump in my throat and forced me to swallow.  
  
I shook my head and replied; "No.not in the slightest."  
  
***  
  
By the time the Hogwarts Express pulled into Hogsmeade it was already dark outside. I stood up from my seat and stretched my stiff limbs, wincing as I felt more than a few joints pop. Sitting in a confined space for too long was not a good idea for a person of my height.  
  
I climbed off the Hogwarts Express and looked around Hogsmeade Station. There were a few people getting off the train, like I was, but there were even more getting onto the train. I looked around the crowd, attempting to pick out a familiar face.  
  
That was when I spotted it, or rather spotted her. It was impossible to mistake those spectacles, silvery hair, and stern look.  
  
I grabbed my trunk and Badger's cage before I made my way towards the woman in her forest green robe. As I approached I distinctly saw a welcoming smile on her face.  
  
I set my trunk down and smiled back at her. "Hallo, McGonagall."  
  
"Welcome back, Wood."  
  
I certainly was back, but things were different now. I was no longer the student, I was the teacher. It would take quite some time for me to get used to the idea.  
  
McGonagall must have seen the worry on my face because she gave me an understanding look and patted my shoulder. I smiled gratefully and picked up my trunk again, ready to follow where she led me.  
  
"Let's get going, shall we?" McGonagall said as she led me to the carriage that would take us to Hogwarts.  
  
The ride to Hogwarts was uneventful. It consisted of nice small talk with Ms. McGonagall and before I knew it, the carriage had stopped and I was stepping into the cool night air with Hogwarts' shadow looming over me.  
  
All the feelings I felt the first time I saw Hogwarts when I was eleven; the fear, excitement, and utter insignificance, came rushing back to me. Hogwarts was timeless, and I would only be a miniscule part of its history.  
  
I shook my head, clearing some of the uneasiness from my mind as I did so. I followed McGonagall into the school and to Gryffindor Tower. The Fat Lady was still there and McGonagall gave her the new password (crumpets). Then we entered the common room which was, even now, as warm and inviting as it had always been.  
  
"Your room is over here. Dumbledore wants you to stay close to the students and be a kind of head-prefect to the other Gryffindors," McGonagall explained as she led me to a door directly off of the common room that had not been there last year.  
  
The room was rather large and had dark stone walls and a hard wood floor. There was a fireplace, a king size four poster bed, a dresser, wardrobe, and desk with two bookcases on either side of it. There was also another doorway that led to a bathroom. The room was the biggest and the most extravagant, yet simple, room that I had ever slept in my entire life.  
  
If this was what life as a teacher at Hogwarts was like, I think I liked it.  
  
***  
  
"Sorella, siamo arrivato," my brother's low calming voice broke into my thoughts as they often did when he addressed me. I raised my head from the book that Kay had lent me. (It just so happened to be the second in the series of books that I had been reading the day our zio had told us that we were going to Hogwarts.)  
  
I looked out the window and saw the people passing by on the platform under the bright yellow lamp lights. "I guess we have. I hadn't even noticed that it was dark outside."  
  
"It's been dark for nearly an hour, Adri," Dante stated in his ever dry tone as he bent down to pick up his cat, a black Siberian by the name of Artemis.  
  
I shrugged as I jumped out of my seat and picked up my own white alley cat Apollo. "What can I say? I've never been one to pay attention to the time."  
  
Dante smirked as he opened the sliding door of our compartment for me and stood aside. "Yes, I know."  
  
I stuck my tongue out at him playfully as we climbed off of the train. Our trunks were swiftly brought to us and we stood on the platform, looking for anyone who might know who we were or knew we were coming because my fratello and I had no clue who was supposed to come get us.  
  
We were standing there for about ten minutes when we saw a rather large man heading towards us. In fact, large was the wrong word for him. He was more like pantagruelico. He wore a large fur skin coat and had long wild curly hair and a long wild curly brown beard. He walked right up to us and asked; "Yeh two must be the Lanz's."  
  
Dante, who was 5'6" compared to my 5', craned his neck to look up at the giant. "Si, signore."  
  
"Don't yeh 'sir' me. Yeh can call me Hagrid, tha's good enough fer everyone else here at Hogwarts," Hagrid said. I knew he was trying to sound scolding, but I could tell that he was pleased all the same. "Now yeh two just follow me. Don't yeh worry about yer luggage, it's bein' taken care of."  
  
Dante and I followed without word. I knew the moment he first spoke that I could trust this kindly bearded man. He had a very friendly quality in his manner. Hagrid led us to the edge of a lake where a large paddle boat sat waiting for us. I placed Apollo in the boat and climbed in after seeing Hagrid climb in. I felt the boat sway and I knew that Dante had gotten in behind me.  
  
"Since yeh are new here, Dumbledore thought it would be nice to show you your first glimpse of Hogwarts from the lake, like he does with the first years." Feeling the shift in the row boat as my brother stiffened at the thought of being considered a first year, Hagrid continued; "Not tha' I'm sayin' yer like first years, just mentioning tha' yeh were new is all."  
  
I smiled at the giant as I felt my brother relax. Not relax completely, but some, which was unusual for Dante lately. "Grazi, Hagrid. It was very considerate of you."  
  
If it hadn't have been dark out, I think that I would have seen Hagrid blush. "Don't yeh go thankin' me. It was Dumbledore's doin'." Hagrid paused his rowing. "Well, there it is. Welcome to Hogwarts."  
  
I looked up when I heard Dante's sharp intake of breath. It was amazing. I didn't think that I had ever seen anything so magnificent, and I doubt that I ever will again. The atmosphere was not altogether welcoming, but for me it was filled with possibilities.  
  
Dante and I were so enthralled by the castle that would be our home for the next nine months that we didn't notice when Hagrid had docked out little rowing boat. When we finally did notice, an overwhelming sense of anticipation and, oddly enough, dread, overcame me.  
  
I dismissed it as first day jitters. 


End file.
